Sonya Renee Taylor is an internationally-known writer and founder of the global movement The Body Is Not An Apology. On Inkblot Arts, I got to chat with her about her work, her art, and her latest project, #WhenWeSayYes. Her words provide an inspiring invitation to love ourselves and care for our world.

Inkblot Arts: Tell us about who you are, specifically in terms of what you’ve said “yes” to in order to become who you are today.SRT: That's a good question! I’m a poet, writer, activist, and founder of The Body Is Not An Apology (TBINAA). I think in order to become those things, I've had to continually embody “yes” in an intentional way of being and living my life. To step into any identity that counters the narrative of what we should be requires a whole lot of “yeses.”

To step into any identity that counters the narrative of what we should be requires a whole lot of “yeses.”

The awesome thing also about the “yeses” is that what we're being invited to, or at least what I was being invited to, was saying “yes” to the obvious paths that the universe is setting up for me. The universe has been making it very, very obvious to me that I'm not meant to do anything other than say “yes.” So, when I started doing poetry in 2003, I didn't set out to be a poet, I just really enjoyed writing and then I discovered there was a platform where you could write and perform and people would pay five dollars to go share their little poems on a stage, and all I had to say “yes” to was getting over a little stage fright and going and allowing myself to share my art in the world. So that “yes” moment was about believing that my voice was valuable enough to share in a room full of other voices. And then the universe took care of the rest. I really didn't have to do much beyond that, other than just keep saying “yes” to the journey. To use an analogy, poetry pulled up in front of my house and honked the horn and said, “You're either gonna get in the car or you're not gonna get in the car.” It was just my job to say “yes” to a hot date!

The same thing in some ways with The Body Is Not An Apology, where a small “yes” became a much larger “yes.” I had a selfie on my phone. I'd been sitting on it for months, I thought I looked really hot, but the negative self-talk and the external voices of body shame were telling me, “No. No, the world is not going to embrace you as beautiful, no, you're not allowed to feel empowered or sexy in that large, dark-skinned, female body, no.” And it took one tiny moment of me saying, “Actually, yes. Yes, I am going to share this photo on Facebook.” And that small “yes” had a ripple effect. It gave other people permission to say “yes” to feeling empowered and beautiful. And then after that, it just kept growing, because there's something contagious about a “yes” that is an affirmation to our highest selves.

IA: That's beautiful. How do you describe The Body Is Not An Apology, and how have you seen the impact of its work?

SRT: We describe The Body Is Not An Apology as a global movement focused on radical self-love and body empowerment. It's a coalition of people around the world who've decided to live unapologetically in their bodies regardless of and because of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, ability, mental health status, or any other actionable identity that the world so often attempts to shame us for. We believe that injustice and oppression are at the core of our inability to make peace with the body, our own and others'. And so through information dissemination, community building, coaching, workshops, webinars, we foster an unapologetic radical self-love, which we believe translates into radical human action that help us toward a more just, compassionate, and equitable world. We believe as we change ourselves, we create the foundation of the outward change we're already seeking. As we begin to radically accept ourselves, we begin to see how the world really fights people who radically accept themselves, so we're actually wanting to change that not just for ourselves, but for the whole planet. And that makes us freedom fighters.

As we begin to radically accept ourselves, we begin to see how the world really fights people who radically accept themselves, so we're actually wanting to change that not just for ourselves, but for the whole planet. And that makes us freedom fighters.

I think it's really important that I point out, because I tell people all the time, that The Body Is Not An Apology is not a self-esteem organization. People just hear about it and want a self-esteem boost – we're probably not the best stop for you. It's funny, because I want people to feel good about themselves, but to what end? I want us to transform how we love ourselves so that we have the capacity to transform inequity and oppression in the world.

The impact has been beyond anything I could've imagined. Every day, I get emails and letters from people who've been changed and shifted because of the work that we do. They say they've learned, “I don't have to apologize for my body. I can love me exactly as I am.” I had a woman write me and she said, “I'm a cutter. I've been cutting for ten years, and when I have the urge to cut, I don't cut. I just come to The Body Is Not An Apology.” I hear things like, “It has helped me shift my relationship with my own body. It has challenged me to think about bodies in the world. Before, I was judgmental; I'm not judgmental anymore. Things that I believe other people should do, I question myself when I find out they're doing that now.” I was walking down the street after a party a few weeks ago, and this woman walked over to me and she said, “Are you Sonya Renee of The Body Is Not An Apology?” And I said, “Yeah...” And she said, “That work is changing my life.” That's the feedback that comes from all corners of the planet, so I know the work is working.

IA: How do you describe WhenWeSayYES?

SRT: WhenWeSayYES is an invitation for the community to invest in a global platform that we are calling of the world’s most comprehensive online information, education, and community-building platform focused exclusively on radical self-love as a tool for personal transformation and global change.

Want to change the world? Join a non-profit agency! At an organization full of compassionate visionaries dedicated to making the world a better place, nothing could possibly go wrong – right? Okay, so nobody’s perfect, and no non-profit is the perfect agent for change. As you may know, some aspects of non-profits can be stressful, challenging, and even counter-productive to the ultimate goals of social change work. And that can be hard for me to hold, knowing that even people with the best intentions can contribute to creating obstacles in the way of true liberation. Luckily, we now have some courageous folks to help us name what goes on in the wacky world of non-profits, through a new activist-artist group called Peacock Rebellion. And they’re doing it all with fun and sass, as well as a deep sense of hope in the power of true activism. Peacock Rebellion is centered around queer and trans people of color, and the artists craft their work through lenses of intersectionality, interconnection, interdependence and transnationalism. These artists aren’t afraid to speak the truth about the dangers of a non-profit industrial complex that upholds problematic patterns and stifles activists' dreams. The truth is, we don’t have to accept the problems of the non-profit world, even with the best intentions. As Peacock Rebellion founder Manish Vaidya says, “we can dream bigger.”

Our big dreams take center stage at Agen(c)y: Nonprofit Dreams + Disaster, Peacock Rebellion’s first cabaret. Twelve queer and trans people of color use comedy, film, burlesque and more to critique the current state of social change, and to share their freedom dreams. The tremendously talented performers include Lambda Literary Award winner Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, Deep Dickollective founder Juba Kalamka, and Mia McKenzie, of the revolutionary blog Black Girl Dangerous. In addition to the all-star performers and curators (Maya Chapina and Manish Vaidya), there’s an all-star line up of sponsors: INCITE, Mangos with Chili, POOR Magazine/Prensa POBRE, Queer Rebels, and QWOCMAP. In other words, a whole lot of fierceness has gone into this show.

Agen(c)y: Nonprofit Dreams + Disaster premiered last night to a packed house at La Peña Cultural Center, and tonight’s show is nearly sold out, so it may be too late to see it on this run. But don’t worry! We’ll be seeing much more of Peacock Rebellion’s amazing work. To find out more, you can visit their website or their Facebook page, and to offer your support, visit the Indiegogo page.

I'm doing something wild and making two Friday Friends posts today. I'm making up for missing last week, but mostly it's because I noticed that the latest post on the INCITE! blog is highlighting an exciting event happening in San Francisco this weekend.

INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence is "a national activist organization of radical feminists of color advancing a movement to end violence against women of color and our communities through direct action, critical dialogue and grassroots organizing." INCITE! is fierce. INCITE! is powerful. They've created books and posters, launched campaigns and provided resources for organizers, as well as so much more to create a world where women of color can live in peace.

Now, anyone who wants to help end violence against women of color and our communities has another resource in the INCITE! blog. Blog editors post news articles, events announcements, calls for submission and more. And they don't claim to have all the answers - instead, they're hoping to hear from you and me and anyone else with news to share.

The latest post on the INCITE! blog, as I mentioned, features a fantastic event that's happening in San Francisco this weekend. Sins Invalid is "a performance project that incubates and celebrates artists with disabilities, centralizing artists of color and queer and gender-variant artists as communities who have been historically marginalized." And it's just as amazing as it sounds. Learn more about Sins Invalid on the INCITE! blog or at the Sins Invalid site, which includes an interview with the fabulous Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, who will also be a part of next weekend's Safetyfest.

There are powerful events happening everywhere, for folks who are used to feeling marginalized. No more. Big thanks to INCITE! for bringing our struggles and triumphs into conversation, and calling for action.